…Lifeline Nehemiah, Wellbodi Partnership & Partners on Community Engagement
Lifeline Nehemiah Projects (LNP), Wellbodi Partnership, Government of Sierra Leone and its partners have started a week long activities in commemoration of World Preeclampsia Day with community screening and awareness campaign on Tuesday 19th May 2026, at Portee Market in the eastern part of Freetown.
The honor, which focuses on screening, early detection, prevention, and management of preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication marked by high blood pressure and organ damage that remains a leading cause of maternal and neonatal mortality, aimed at engaging mothers, expectant women, and community health workers.
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and damage to organs, often the kidneys and liver. It typically occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Without treatment, the right medication, it can lead to seizure, stroke, and death.
Speaking on the importance of the week, Project Manager at Lifeline Nehemiah Projects, Mohamed Turay, said they believed that knowledge save lives, adding that by bringing accurate information directly to women and families, they can reduce and prevent deaths and improve the outcome of mothers and babies.
He continued that World Preeclampsia Day is observed globally, and for us in Sierra Leone, on May 22 each year to raise awareness and advocate for better maternal health services.
“Lifeline Nehemiah Projects runs skills training and rehabilitation programs in Freetown, with an increasing focus on maternal and reproductive health support for vulnerable women,” Turay said.
Mr. Turay also revealed that Sierra Leone has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality ratios, quoting the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation that “hypertensive disorders in pregnancy account for roughly 15% of maternal deaths nationwide. Contributing factors include late antenatal booking, limited health infrastructure, and low awareness of danger signs.”
He ended by signaling that ‘every mother deserves to return home with her baby and that awareness is the first medicine.’
Ernest Swarray, Cradle Smart Manager at Wellbodi Partnership, said Tuesday activity offered free blood pressure and urine protein screenings, one-on-one counseling, and Krio-language health talks for expectant mothers, women, including the aged. “Community health officers, LNP and Wellbodi staffs, and hub members also joined in distributing leaflets detailing warning signs of preeclampsia”.
“Too many women in Sierra Leone still die from preventable complications. Breaking the silence is to talk about Preeclampsia. A headache, blurred vision, or sudden swelling is not normal pregnancy; it can be a red flag. Many women also die because high blood pressure is missed or misunderstood. The Cradle device removes guesswork. Even community health officers with basic training can use it to spot danger signs early,” Mr. Swarray disclosed.
Swarray ended by disclosing that the cradle machine is not just a gadget, adding that for Sierra Leone, it is a lifeline and if they can catch preeclampsia at community level, they keep more mothers alive to raise their children.
The event was climaxed with voices from the community of which one of the victims of preeclampsia, who opted to be anonymous, said she lost her first baby because she did not know, adding that her feet were swollen and she had severe headache. Today I was checked and I feel safer now, she said.